Feast on Fourth, come rain or shine

You can never rule out rain on the Fourth of July. Not around here, at least.

A few raindrops here and there, now and then, are one thing. An unending dawn-to-dark torrential monsoon of a steady downpour is something else again.

In the latter case, you know right off the bat you can kiss off any possibility of roasting wienies and making s’mores over a campfire, bonfire or beach fire.

There goes dinner off the barbecue, too, not to mention the happy day’s traditional highlight: sending those ooh-and-awe traditional Independence Day fireworks into the sky.

Come Sunday, maybe rain, maybe not. Iffy, piffy, at this point, so I say we figure out possibilities for the meal’s basic mainstay to cook on the stovetop, in a crockpot or the oven. And come up with an outdoor idea, too.

Got it aced! Right here and right now, with two new options, one each for either rain or shine. And neither takes a ton of time to prepare right before the cooking process begins, either.

Let’s go with chicken from the pot, then, or beef from the barbecue. The first recipe is taken from “Joe Simmer’s All-American Slow Cookin’ ” cookbook, while the second comes from my husband’s much page-flipped copy of “A Salute to Steak,’’ a collection of recipes to benefit charities that support the U.S. Marines.

Southwestern crockpot barbecued chicken

1teaspoon mild chili powder

1/2teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1teaspoon ground cumin

1teaspoon dry mustard

1tablespoon sweet paprika

1/2teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2teaspoon salt

3tablespoons dark brown sugar

6chicken leg quarters, skinned

1tablespoon olive oil

1cup finely chopped onion

3tablespoons finely chopped garlic

1can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1/4cup cider vinegar

2tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1tablespoon Worcestershire

1tablespoon honey

Combine the chili powders, cumin, dry mustard, paprika, black pepper, salt and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix well. Rub the mixture into the chicken leg quarters, reserving any that is left over or falls off the chicken. Set the seasoned chicken aside to “dry marinate’’ while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Heat oil in a medium-size saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in any reserved seasoning mix, the tomato paste, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire and honey.

When evenly blended, spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the crockpot. Place the seasoned chicken quarters on the bottom, and spread the remaining sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours, or until chicken is tender.

Makes 6 servings.

Marinated flank steak with lemon-garlic butter

Marinade:

1/4cup fresh lemon juice

1/4cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4cup roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley

4medium cloves garlic, crushed

1teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

1/2teaspoon kosher salt

1flank steak, 11/2-2 pounds and about 3/4-inch thick, trimmed of surface fat

Butter:

1/3cup unsalted butter, softened

1tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1teaspoon minced garlic

1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/4teaspoon kosher salt

1/4teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients. Pour the marinade into a large, resealable plastic bag and add the meat. Press out the air and seal the bag tightly, then turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade. Place the bag on a plate and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

For the butter, in a medium bowl, mash the butter ingredients with the back of a fork and mix well to evenly distribute the seasonings; set aside.

Remove the steak from the marinade and discard marinade. Let the steak stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Grill steak over direct medium-high heat (450 to 500 degrees) until cooked to desired doneness, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare, turning once. Remove the steak from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Smear the lemon-garlic butter over the top. Cut the steak across the grain in thin slices and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

The next Forum will appear in Friday’s comics pages.